Starting device for motor cycles and the like



Sept. 25 1923. 1,469,116

R. w. sM|TH l STARTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR CYCLES AND THE LIKE I Filed June 50, 1920 y 2 Shea'tsmsheet 1 Sept. 25, A1923. 1,469,116

R. vv. SMITH v l STARTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR CYCLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 50, 1920 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 op N x *Bonner-'WALKER sivirrrr, QEREDDITC Patented Sept. 25, r1923..`

rasant f-UNIT-EDSTATES'emaifeteee n, ENGLAND, AssiGNoR or ONE-HALE ro THE ENFIELD CYCLE COMPANY, LIlVIIIIEl), OF REDDITCH, ENGLAND.

STARTING :DEVICE EOE Moron eYcLEs AND THE LIKE.

Applicationled June 30, 1920. Serial No. 393,158.

To all -uihomc' may concern.'

Be it known 'that I, ROBERT WAL-Knit SMrrrga subject ofthe Kingdom of Great Britaim'residing -at Enfield Works, Redditch,in the county of Worcester, England, have invented,certain 'new Aand useful Improvement-s in or lRelating to Starting Devices for Motor Cycles-andthe like (for which I have filed application for patent in Great Britain Aprii'ao, i915, #5,920), or which the. following is a speciication.

l,This invention relates to starting devices forengines, ofthe type in which the starting power is imparted to the shaft to be'started by a, one-way clutch which has been of the ratchet tooth type and adapted to be automatically disengaged after starting, the one part of the ratchet tooth clutch having been axially moved into engagement in the opera tionof starting-by virtue of inclined surfaces, and in which the 'arrangement is such that the axially movable part v'of the clutch has been axially disengaged after starting by the teeth of the clutch vand has been normally retained out offengagement orcontact -With the other part oftheclutch. Previously such an arrangement has only been used in connection'with a primary starting arrangementC of a type which is displaced and is adapted to return to its initial positiomsuch as a kiclcstarter or a. wheel rotated by pulling a rope'againstthe resistance of aspring', and'it is thisreturn movement 'of the vprimary starting member to its initial position whichV serves to bring about the retention of the ratchet tooth clutch in its disengaged condition.'

' The present invention is designed for arrangements in which theprimary st-arting handlel or device is of the type adapted to beV rotated continuously and in an unlimited degrec, as differentiated from the kick-starter or equivalent' type of oscillatory primary starting arrangemenaand in order lto provide the necessary rearward movement or rotation lfor bringing about the retention ofthe partsgof a ratchet tooth starting clutch normally out of Contact or engagement,l means are provided whereby after the continuous operation of the primary starting member in an unlimited'degree has been discontinued, said primary starting member or a part thereof is caused to rotate to an appropriate extent in a rearward direction. Y

The present inventionmay be'used in con- -the chain wheel.

nection with the various forms of starters, such as manual and electric starters to whichV it is suit-ably applicable, and the `drive for starting may be imparted to a chainwheel laterally'movable in relation to, andradapt'ed to have ratchet tooth' clutch connect-ion with, a part to Which the starting power is to be imparted. This chain Wheel receives the starting motion through the medium of any endless chain, from -another chain wheel -mounted upon the primary starting handle shaft or other primary starting member, such other chain wheel constituting a part kof ,ther primary `starting member which is, as

aforedescribed, adapted after the starting power has been discontinued, to rotate to some small extent in a rearward direction, this being convenientlyfeffected by the ernf ploymentl of a friction deviceand spring, the spring being constrained in the'forward operation of the handle or primary starting chain wheel untilthe frictionalgresistance is overcome. When thepowerimparted' to the chain wheelis discontinued, t-he latter rotates ina Arearward Adirection under the influence of the spring which acts through the intermediate ring frictionally engaging With The' laterally movable chain wheel adapted to have Vratchet .tooth clutch `connection with the 'part to be started may rotate and slide es f axially upon ta stationaryvboss, and this chain l wheel has on its face opposite to the face the engagement of the inclined surfaces of its, teethjwith the teeth upon the part to be started, the rearward movement of the yprimary startingmember brings the vertical facesof the teeth on the other side ofthe chain wheel into such engagement withthe" corresponding faces Aof the' teeth on the fric- 'tionally restrained ring, that the chain wheel isthereby held-*with its starting clutch'teeth4 yout of engagement With thel starting clutch teeth upon thepart to be started.` Thefinf clinedfsurfaces of the teeth upon the'V frictionallyresisted ring in .cofoperation with those on' the chain wheel servetor provide for the axial movement of the latter into clutch engagement with thel part to be started upon the forward operationof the. primary starting device.

Ain order that thisinvention may beclearly understood and readily carried into practice, reference may b e 'had to the appended eX- planatory two sheets of drawings, upon which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional plan `of a starting handle' and chainA wheel 'operated thereby in one vform kof primary starting `device according to the present inven- Figure 2 isa longitudinal sectional plan of aniotor cycle countershaft vand illustrating thechain wheel which receives mot-ion from Fig. 2f24is a diagram showing the chain wheel shown inv Figure 1. the ratchet teeth 17, 18, 19and 20.

Fig. 3V is aidetail sectional view taken on' the plane indicated by the" line 3-3 of Figf1; p l

In ay convenientembodinient of the present invention, 1 is a starting handle which is adapted to impart rotary motion toa shaft 2 suitably carriedin a stationary sleeve I 3. The shaft 2 rigidlycarries a chain wheel 4C. VThis chain wheel 4f rigidly carries the female 'memberl 5 of a coned friction device.

lThe male 'member' of this coned friction washer A10 or other suitable inea-ns acting between theymember 6 kand the chain*V wheel 1.Y YThe arrangement is such that when the Ashaft 2 is rotated by the starting handle f1, the memberf isfirst of all frictionally rotated a part of a revolution against the resistance of the coiled spring disposed in Vthe groove 7, thisY occurring by reason'of the frictiona-l engagement between the parts 5 and 6, but after the spring 'has been compressed to av certain extent, the part 5. slips in relation'to the part 6, at the same time retaining the latter ,in the position to retain the spring eompressedso that the spring is retained in its compressed condition' throughout the time during which the shaft 2 is rotated. When the rotation of Vthe shaft2 kis discontinued and the handle 1 is released, `the' spring contained in the groove Zf'expands and causes the" chain wheel 4 to rotate to a smallextent -in a direction 'opposite to that in which it has been rotated by :the handle. VvThe chain illustrated the chain wheel 4 and shaft 2k together constitute the par-t ,ofY` the primary starting member which ,afterstarting' is caused to rotate in a rearward direction. The starting handle 1 l may be rigidly fixed to the shaft 2, in which case the starting handley also rotates, after starting, in a rearward direction, but in the form shown in the drawing the usual claw. clutch 23 *isV provided between the handle lan'd shaft 2, asa result of which'the handle Y receive the rearward motion. The chain wheel 4' is geared byan endless chaine@ with the chainwheel 11 shownin Figure 2L This chain wheel 11 is adapted. to rotate and also have a'slight axial movement upon a stationary sleeve 12. Within this sleeve 12 a spindle 13 is'mounted. This spindle `13 is adaptedt'o receive power from the engine y through one or other of two chain 'wheels 11, 715'," one or otherV of which is adapted to befclutched tothe shaft 13 by any suit# able mechanism at the will of the rider, to

thereby provide a twonsp'eedV gear. At its other end the shaft 13 cai-ries a chainwheel 1G which is in gear with a chain fwheel'on the-rear road wheel ofthe bicycle. Thechain wheel 14: constitutes theV part to be started and' has a webr 17 which is contiguous to-.the stationary sleeve 12. To this webf17 is secured afring-l'a of ratchet teeth, with which ratchet teeth 18 provided upon-the chain wheel 11 are adapted to engage, This constitutes the starting clutch. 'When the ratchet teeth 18 arein engagementwith-the ratchet'teeth on the wheel 14,and both of the wheels Hand 15 are declutched `from the shaft 13, rotation of the starting handle 1 has the effect of starting the wheel'll-and "therefore, the engine which drives both of the wheels 1&1-, 15. Either of the wheels,- 14, '15 can then afterwards'be lclutchedto the shaft 13 to drive'. the '-latter`-eitlier at y:i relatively 'high' or av relatively low. speed. After the wheel 14 has beenstarted .the ratchet teeth on the wheel l14C over-run those kon thev wheel 18,` in which action the wheel 11 is moved axially away from the wheel 14. Y At its other fac-e the-chain wheelll is .furnished with ratchet teeth 19which may` be larger in pitchand depth than the teeth on the first face, and-such otherratchet teeth are adapted to co-operate with ratchet teeth provided upon a ring 2O encircling the stationary carrier sleeve. Such last-mentioned ring can rotate'aird move axiallyuponV the sleeve, both ofwhichfmovements are frictio'nally resisted by 'a spring 21 incorporated within the ring and adapted toY engage .with the periphery' ofi the lstationary* carrier sleeve.' Between the ring last mentioned and a stationary'shoulder or stop a spring washer 22 is vincorporated.l

1 may notV niY When, therefore, the initial starting movement imparted to the chain wheel 11 is discontinued, such chain wheel is laterally or axially displace-d away from the teeth to which the power has been imparted, andthe teeth on the other side of the wheel pass into engagement with the frictionally restrained ring 20. The chain Wheel 11 may rotate the frictionally restrained ring 20 rearwardly in some degree but upon completiony ofthis rotation the vertical faces of the teeth 19 are held tightly against the vertical faces of the teeth on the ring 20 by the effort of the spring 7a disposed between the stops 8 and 9v (Figure l) and the chain wheel 11 isv thereby held with its teeth 18 out of engagement with the teeth on the wheel 14. The last-mentioned faces of the teeth 19 and of the teeth on the ring 20 may, instead of being precisely vertical, be slightly undercut to ensure the desired retention of the wheel l1 Vfrom lateral or axial displacement.

Vhen it is again desired to effect the operation of starting, the rotation imparted to the chain wheel causes the latter to move axially orv laterally by reason of its teeth 19v sliding over the teeth of the frictionally retained ring 20, and the chain ywheel is thereby displaced into engagement with the ratchet teeth upon the wheel 14. Y

What I claim als my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is w In starting mechanism, a clutch'element having vratchet teeth on one side, a gear ment and having ratchet teeth on opposite sides, those on one side being arranged to engage those of said clutch element when said gea-r` is moved laterally in one directo engage those on the other side of said gear, spring means to yieldingly and fric- 'tionallyl resist both rotation and lateral movement of said ring, and a spring Washer Amounted for rotation andvfor lateral moveto move saidV ring and gear .toward said clutch element, in combination With a revo` luble primary starting device, an element revoluble therewith, and means to impart reverse rotation to said element whenethe rotation of the primary device is discontinued, the last-'named elementwbeing connected to and active` to operate said gear.

In witness whereof., I have hereunto set my hand.

ROBERT WALKER V-SMITH. A 

